Characterized by an earnest approach to anthemic rock and a spiritual zen reminiscent of Joshua Tree-era U2, LIVE climbed from modest modern rock success to the mainstream spotlight worldwide on the strength of their 1994 breakthrough album, the 6 million-selling Throwing Copper.

Kowalczyk, Taylor, Dahlheimer, and Gracey first came together for a middle-school talent show in the Pennsylvania blue-collar town of York. The group remained together throughout high school, going through a handful of band names and new-wave covers before settling on the moniker Public Affection and recording a self-released cassette of originals, The Death of a Dictionary, in 1989. Frequent trips into New York to play at CBGB helped net ...